Best Equestrian Camping near Carlsbad, NM

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Carlsbad

56 Reviews of 3 Carlsbad Campgrounds

• 

  Mary T.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 31, 2024

  Carlsbad KOA

  Nice place to camp

  Nice gravel sites. Wide roads to get into sites. Pool, playground. Restrooms OK. Only issue not great Wifi.

• 

  Roger W.

  Legend

  

  May. 4, 2024

  Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  RV Area - Nice Virw

  Dog Canyon RV area: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

  (71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

  Overall Rating: 3.5 Price 2024: $ 10 winteragency pass Security: No Usage during visit: 50 to 100%, however there are more no shows than usually experienced elsewhere. Site Privacy: No Site Spacing: Close Pad surface: Gravel Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Quiet Outside Road Noise: This campground is the end of the road. Through Traffic in campground: Hiker parking area across from the RV sites Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes. I didn’t notice the hand pump to the left of the trailhead the first couple days here. Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Flush toilets are a short walk, located in the tent camping area. There is also a heated bathroom at the visitor center which is a short distance further.
  Showers: No Pull Throughs: All 4 sites are back in Cell Service (AT&T): No bars. There is WiFi at the visitor center. We were able to periodically pick up WiFi at our campsite, RV- D. Setting: Surrounded by ridges. Recent Weather: Very windy and cold nights.
  Solar: Excellent.
  Insects: None Host: Not filled.
  Rig Size: i cannot imagine that these sites will accommodate rigs over 25’. Sites: RV-A, and RV-D are on the ends. These are the best sites. RV-A door faces horse trailer parking area. No horse there trailers during our stay. RV- D is the best site if you can park your RV nose first. This makes sitting area more private . In RV- D and RV-A sites the occupant can spread out more.

• C

  Chris E.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 6, 2024

  Carlsbad KOA

  A bit noisy, dusty, but nice enclosed tent spot

  Overall a good campsite, some minor drawbacks. Site is close to highway, so lots of road noise throughout the day and night. Contained tent hexagon shelter structure was nice, allowed for contained and divided campsites. Marginal shade and pretty dusty.

• 

  Robert G.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 31, 2024

  Carlsbad KOA

  Way north of Carlsbad

  Long ways from the caverns. Wifi is weak/slow/intermittent.

• W

  Wilfred W.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2023

  Pine Top Wilderness Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  Beautiful camping site

  Once you have your permit, you can embark on your backpacking adventure to Pine Top. The 4.2-mile hike from Pine Springs to the campground will take you through diverse landscapes, including forests, meadows, uno online, and possibly even some stunning vistas. As you make your way to Pine Top, keep an eye out for wildlife and take in the natural beauty surrounding you.

• 

  Kurtis S.

  Guide

  

  May. 22, 2023

  Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  If you want remote... You've found it (hopefully)

  This place is REMOTE! Like 1.5 hours away from any gas station remote. First and foremost make sure you fill up before you get off that highway. Whites City by Carlsbad is not to far. If youre coming that direction fill up before you go out there.

  This campground does not have a lot of amenities. It has trash cans, a toilet, and some drinking fountains.. and the rest is nature. I really liked this place.

  Dog Canyon is one of those places where the pictures just wont do it justice. Its big, youre little.

  We spent 5 days @25$ a day

  BATHROOOM SCORE: 3/5 # LEAKING TOILETS, LOW ON TOILET PAPER

  STARLINK SCORE: 5/5

  SOLAR SCORE:5/5

  REMOTE WORKERS SCORE: 4/5

  PS: the guys with the big trailers were not happy with the site... they are a little tight

• T

  Tessa+Mark

  Scout

  

  Apr. 2, 2023

  Carlsbad KOA

  Nice place

  Good shower. WiFi not very Stanley.

• J

  Julie M.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 21, 2023

  Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  Disappointed not a great place for rv

  We first pulled up to the main campground and ranger station. The bathrooms were very dirty and not well kept. The campground for rv’s was just a parking lot. I held out hope for this campground and after a 2hr drive it was another parking lot for rv’s. Right next to each other. Luckily after the first night everyone else left and we were there all by ourselves until that night. Tent camping looked nicer.

• 

  James A.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 16, 2023

  Pine Top Wilderness Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  Many reason favor this

  I guess not really sure what type of giveaways for Instagram campaign for followers to run but I think SVQ online will serve as a better alternative to that one comes with more power promotional reach.

• D

  Dave

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 18, 2022

  Carlsbad KOA

  Not an exact review

  Arrived in the Dark during December and it was one of the darkest ingresses at a KOA I’ve experienced. The office was about to close due to me arriving later than expected. Staff was very kind and got me situated.

  Got to the site and seems the neighbor parked in my designated but all good, I’m just wanting my boots up for the night[lucky I didn’t have a larger displacement haha, all good).

  Facilities were immaculate and warm during this arctic blast.

  A great place to help bridge west to east travels in my opinion.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 16, 2022

  Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  Remote campground

  General: small campground (four “RV” sites and nine tent sites (plus one group tent site). Access is remote (only one 60-mile paved option and one 30-mile dirt road alternative) so you need to make sure you have filled up with gas in Carlsbad as there are no services within many miles of the campground. No cell reception at all (not unexpected). Be aware that the park is on mountain time but close enough to the central time zone border that your smartphone/watch may not display the correct time!

  Site Quality: The “RV” sites are just a gravel parking lot. Each site has a picnic table and while the sites are spaced a decent amount of distance apart, there is no physical separation between the sites. No hookups. The tent sites are walk-in. 

  Bathhouse: We were expecting a pit toilet in such a remote location but there is one men’s and one women’s bathroom with a flush toilet and sink. They were very clean. Soap dispensers but no paper towels. Although there was no hot water, the restrooms were heated, which was a nice bonus. 

  Activities: There is a .6-mile nature trail and several more challenging hiking trails. There was a horse corral behind the RV sites, but we did not see any horses while there. About 25 miles away is Sitting Bull Falls, a spring-fed waterfall that is a nice side trip. 

  We camped here because we were not able to get reservations in the other more popular campground in Guadalupe Mountains NP. Access between the two sides of the park is long (about 60 miles) so while this was a nice, comfortable campground, it is not easy to get to.

• 

  Karen B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 21, 2022

  Carlsbad KOA

  Great Communication!

  This KOA will start texting you in advance of your arrival, which I found a bit tedious, but it came in handy during our stay.

  Check in was simple and informative. The pool is open and was clean. It definitely came in handy during this heat!

  The campground is based about an hour away from Carlsbad Caverns, which worked for us so we could drop our rig and make the drive the next morning. Only about 20 minutes from the town of Carlsbad.

  On our second night, there was a wicked storm and we started heading loud booms. The park was thoughtful enough to text everyone after hours to reassure us that the pecan fields up the road use air cannons to prevent hail. Not sure about the effectiveness but was so glad to know what was happening.

  We would certainly return if we ever need full hook ups in the area.

• 

  Dan K.

  Scout

  

  May. 26, 2022

  Carlsbad KOA

  Dyrt Campground

  Expensive but you knew that, it's a KOA and you don't mind if it's full of amenities and clean right? Well it was not.

  The three bathrooms, that's right three, in the campground need renovating but the one in the clubhouse was clean.

  The Campground is a dirt and gravel parking lot with a few small trees. Around the office was well manicured with a koi pond benches and some grass so 1st impression was ok. butt..

  The dog park was tiny which is confusing because the property is so large no way was my dog going to run in the dog run.

  The camp store had astronomical prices. I'm used to high camp store prices but it had ridiculous markups.

  The pool was closed it was record heat May.

  No trash barrels except for your poop bags along the dog walk which was a dirt road not on but beside the campground which BTW when someone drove down it everyone near was dust bathed.

   My wife signed us in and latter told me we were charged $10 early fee because we were an hour early...Really? She didn't want to let me know. They wouldn't have charged us if I went in. BTW we left 3 hours before check out so ....?

  I'm bumping it up to three stars because there were so many birds and bunnies.

• G

  Georgina

  Guide

  

  Dec. 31, 2021

  Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  Rooftop Tent Camping

  This campsite is very remote, but it is gorgeous. It’s quite small, with only 4 RV spots and several tent spots. There is no cell phone service, but there is free Wi-Fi available. There are bathrooms, but no showers. It’s about 1.5 hours from the closest gas station so make sure to fill up before heading in. Dogs are allowed at the campsite, but not on any of the trails. I definitely recommend this site if you are going to be hiking around the national parks (Guadalupe Mountain and Carlsbad Caverns). It was also very windy when we were there in December, so bring warm clothes!

• 

  Chris H.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 23, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Very clean and great staff

  This KOA was a great property in thy it was very clean and had a lot to offer for families with kids, and even adult only patrons. They had a really big “Rec Room” for kids and adults to play ping pong, or a video game. They also deliver food to your site, and they smoke their own BBQ on site! It’s less than an hour from Carlsbad Caverns, and only 15 minutes from Carlsbad proper, in case you need some supplies or want to go find a place to eat in town. The only downside to this place was the sulfur/propane smell from the gas/oil wells in the area, and the fact that there wasn’t much to block the wind.

• R

  Robbie S.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 3, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Extremely nice staff

  Quiet, clean, great wifi, and excellent staff! The showers were nice and hot although it took awhile to heat up. Great areas to exercise pets too. I highly recommend this place.

• 

  Patricia A.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 19, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Stop over

  Very clean bathrooms and showers. Pool large checkers and chess set and horseshoes.

• 

  Amanda A.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 18, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Just the basics

  The area is scenic, spots are close together. Bathrooms could’ve been cleaner, men’s restroom was closed due to remodel. WiFi did not work. Has a dog run and lots of amenities! It worked for what we needed.

• 

  Jenna R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 15, 2021

  Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  Stargazing like never before!!!!

  This was our first time visiting and it was absolutely amazing!!!! I will absolutely plan another trip back. The park Ranger (I can’t remember her name but I want to say it was Bev) was awesome. She was so kind and helpful and kept the park looking crisp and clean. We went the last week of February and stayed on a Sunday night. We were the only people in the park, including RVs and day-use. That creeped us out a bit since it’s so secluded and you don’t have cell service whatsoever, but the Ranger made us feel comfortable and like we had a friend there. I don’t know what it would be like during the busy season when it’s crowded because the campsites felt like they were on top of each other (like if you went camping with a group of people and you wanted to be close) but we didn’t have to worry about it since we were the only ones. My only complaint (and I didn’t dock a star on my review because it could’ve been that my fiancé and I just poorly planned and we also didn’t ask for help or clarification) was that the trails were not well marked. We hiked but we had no idea how far we went or what trail we were on, we just walked. That was frustrating because I wanted to keep going but I didn’t want to get lost, but the hiking was still gorgeous and enjoyable so I would still do it again.

  The mountains are stunning but what keeps replaying over in my mind is the stargazing. I’m an amateur stargazer and I brought my telescope to check it out but unfortunately it was so cold and windy I couldn’t set it up long enough to use it. However, the stars were so bright and so vivid I couldn’t take my eyes off of the sky. And the moon came out over the mountains (which was almost a full moon) and it was like someone turned on a spot light on the campground. It was breathtaking.

  We didn’t really get a pleasurable experience outside of that because it got so cold overnight (earlier that day the ranger warned us that it was supposed to be one of the coldest nights) and we weren’t really as prepared as we could’ve been so we ended up sleeping in the car with the heat on and leaving at first light but we are dying to go back again when it’s warmer. It also snowed incredibly heavily leaving the next day on our way out so the roads got pretty dangerous. Overall, still completely worth it!!!

  If you go, at least take some binoculars for stargazing. You will absolutely not regret it!

• 

  Olaf I.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  One night to visit the caves

  It’s a nice campground, large and good seize of sites. Very friendly staff, good pool but it’s a good drive to the caves.

• A

  Alison W.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 8, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Solid Pick but Nothing Special

  This was our first time staying at a KOA and in general, we liked it. It’s about an hour from the Caverns which is doable, the staff is friendly and the amenities (shower, laundry, flush toilets) are very nice to have. It’s a great site for those who prefer glamping. However, it’s not very scenic and you are very close to your fellow campers (we listened to a couple fight the whole two nights we were there). There is a lake nearby and the dessert surrounding provides its own type of scenery but it was not my favorite campground.

• 

  Ashley B.

  Scout

  

  May. 22, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Great spot!

  All spots are larger than typical koa campgrounds. There are Fire pits! Large playground for the kiddos and pet friendly!

• 

  Tim F.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 30, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  First KOA for us—won’t be the last

  I was a bit nervous about the location of this KOA when I first booked it, but it turned out to be perfect for us. We arrived from OK City, so the slightly north location was welcomed, plus it was a great spot to leave from when e we headed to White Sands. The sites were spacious and the playground was great for the kids. The bathhouse was clean, and warm (!!), and the sunsets and sunrises were amazing! Also, only $10 to extend your check out until 2pm, so though we didn’t need it, it was a nice option to have if we’d stayed at one of our sites longer than expected.

• 

  Edward S.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 21, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  The Alien Host

  Arrived late at night. Easily discovered by the aliens that greeted us. Awoke to a beautiful sunrise, and watched from a swinging bench. I am reborn now.

• W

  Wanderfalds L.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 18, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Lovely campground

  This is one of the nicest KOAs we’ve ever been too. Sites are spacious and level and you don’t feel packed in like sardines. They have all the amenities expected. The only negative to the location is the proximity to the oil fields and the smell that rolls in from the methane burnoffs. Obviously, the owners of the KOA can’t do anything about that, but if you’re sensitive to overwhelming sulphur smell, I’d recommend giving it a pass. It’s doesnt smell all the time, but we woke up both nights to the smell and being from a non-oil state, had no idea what was happening the first night.

• M

  Mike

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 6, 2021

  Carlsbad KOA

  Better than expected

  This was the 1st time I've ever stayed at a KOA. First time using hookups.

  I was anticipating being sandwiched between monster RVs and listening to generators all night.

  But, it wasn't that bad. We lucked out with a spot at the end of a row, which helped a bunch. Yes, there were monster RVs everywhere, but we actually had a decent amount of space. The bathrooms and showers were clean and very welcome after 6 days on the road.

  The BBQ food that they serve was pretty decent as well.

  Not my style of camping, but when you need to wash up, its not a bad option. Location near Carlsbad Caverns was excellent as well. There are closer RV parks, but none that I wanted to stay at.

  Also note: It was a very windy campsite. Don't count on having a fire.

• 

  Steve W.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 27, 2020

  Carlsbad KOA

  Nice place.

  Plenty of room drive thru’s room for rvs tents has nice laundry mat and a pool during summer months. They have awesome food and you can call it in and they deliver to your campsite.